


Time & Tide Volume Three

by rae_marie



Series: Echoes In the Universe [10]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (Big Finish Audio)
Genre: Gen, blair kenneth verse, don't be decieved by the first chapter, i honestly don't know how to put a trigger warning on this, so i'll just say that if you've ever dealt with grief tread carefully, this is the angstiest thing I've ever written
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-12
Packaged: 2020-01-07 14:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18412601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rae_marie/pseuds/rae_marie
Summary: Blair and the Master have one last try at stopping the Alari, but at what cost?





	1. Episode One

_ Will it truly work, or is it only clutching at straws? _

The Master looked up at the time rotors, wishing the TARDIS could tell him. He  _ needed _ those symbiotic nuclei, otherwise, how would he survive? But with the way the whole situation with the Alari had been laid out right in front of him, it really did almost seem too good to be true. 

He simply did not know what to make of it. 

He looked at his notes again. 

_ Perhaps if I trigger a temporal bubble; one that makes the outside world seem non-existent, even if it affects the inhabitants…. _

He frowned. Something was nagging at him, but he could not fathom  _ what _ . 

‘What are you doing?’ Blair asked, and the Master looked up. She was standing in the corridor. 

‘I may have a plan as to how to stop the Alari, and also solve a dilemma I have had for a while, but I am not certain it is the right path to take.’ 

‘Oh! Well maybe we can brainstorm together!’ 

‘That might be a good idea.’ The Master picked up his notes, and was about to go into the Alcove, when the TARDIS shook violently. 

They both sprawled on the floor. The Master reached out for Blair. 

‘I’ve got you - ‘ He slowly pushed himself to his knees. ‘We should put on the safety belts, so we do not fall out again like last time.’ 

‘Okay….’ 

He helped Blair up and over to the console, and took down the safety harnesses. Once they were safely strapped in, he checked the controls, and managed to get the TARDIS back into the Vortex. She stopped shuddering, and settled down to her usual soothing hum. 

The Master started reprogramming the controls. 

‘What are you doing?’ Blair asked, leaning forward as far as the harness would let her. 

‘I think it would be prudent to materialise in physical space, to make certain she has not been damaged.’ 

He reached over and pulled the secondary demat lever, and after a microspan, they landed. 

The Master unstrapped his harness, then strode around to the scanner and flicked it on. 

‘Hmm….it certainly  _ looks  _ safe enough.’ He came back around to Blair and helped her out of the harness. ‘Would you like to take a walk?’ 

‘That sounds good! As long as you think it’s safe….’ 

‘Yes. I believe we have landed on a Galactic Heritage site.’ He took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves; it looked warm outside. 

‘What’s Galactic Heritage?’ Blair asked. 

‘An organisation that preserves important sites across the universe.’ 

‘Oh okay.’ 

The Master checked the scanner one more time, then flicked the door switch. 

*****

As soon as they stepped outside, they were greeted by a light, sweet smell. Blair breathed in a gulp of it. 

‘What  _ is _ that?’ she asked. The Master closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. 

‘It smells like….Zirshaw flowers, I believe.’ He looked around, then smiled and pointed. ‘Over there; there is a patch of them growing.’ 

They walked over. Blair noticed a wooden sign in the middle of the patch. 

‘“ _ Free for Public _ ,”' she read. ‘Does that mean we can pick them?’

‘It does  _ indeed! _ They are rather beautiful, I will say.’ 

Blair leaned down and picked four small flowers. They were the colour of a sunset, although there were several blue ones, as well as white and purple ones nearby, but she liked these the best, and they reminded her of the Prydonian robes she and the Master had worn all that time ago. She reached over and put two in the Master’s watch pocket. He smiled at her. 

‘Thank you, Blair.’ 

She grinned at him. 

She put the other two flowers in her dress pocket, and they walked on together. 

*****

Blair could not believe all the birds around them. She had never seen anything quite like them; they were almost dinosaur-like, and looked curiously at the two of them as they walked under their trees. 

‘What are they?’ Blair asked after a while. 

‘Arjas,’ the Master said. ‘There are other avians on this planet, but these are the predominant species. They have quite a large amount of colour variation, wouldn’t you say?’ 

‘Oh,  _ yeah _ . They’re  _ beautiful! _ ’ 

Two of the Arjas sprung up into the air and, with a flap of their wings, soared up into the sky while Blair watched breathlessly.    
  
*****

They stayed for a long while, then finally, as the sun was setting, they decided it was time to head back to the TARDIS. 

‘I can’t believe all the colours in the clouds,’ Blair said softly. ‘It’s so vibrant.’

‘Indeed. I am happy you had the chance to see them.’ 

Blair looked around happily, then did a doubletake and stopped. 

‘What is it?’ The Master looked around as well. 

‘The TARDIS isn’t here. This is where it’s supposed to be - see? The grass is flattened in the shape of a space pod.’ 

The Master gasped sharply and took out the omniscanner. After a moment, he relaxed. 

‘She felt an attack from the Alari trying to strand us here, and the HADS activated.’ 

Blair let out a long breath. ‘Do you know where she is?’ The Master nodded. 

‘I do. Come. This way.’ 

They walked back into the forest, now dark. The Master held out the omniscanner to Blair. 

‘Would you like to track her?’ 

Blair nodded eagerly and took the device. She watched the compass needle rotate to a specific direction, and pointed when it stopped.

‘That way,’ she said. 

They started off again, and had gone only a few minutes longer before the woods seemed almost impenetrably dark. 

‘Blair, perhaps you should turn on the torch function,’ the Master said. 

‘’Kay; where is it?’ 

Before the Master could answer, he cried out, and there was a crash. 

‘Blair don’t move!’ he shouted. She froze. 

‘Where are you?!’ she called. 

‘I fell down a ledge - turn on the torch function before you go any further! It’s the switch on the left side!’ 

Blair fumbled, then found the switch and flicked it on. She gasped when she saw she was standing on the very edge of a hill that sloped down at a harsh, unclimbable angle to the ground below.

‘Can you get out of there?!’ she called. 

‘No; I have tried and I cannot. I….I need you to use that emergency training I have been giving you.’ 

Blair’s eyebrows shot up. 

‘I don’t know if I  _ can _ ,’ she called. ‘What if I crash into a star or something?!’ 

‘I shall set up a beacon you can lock onto - follow that and you will be perfectly fine - besides; she cares about you; she will help you! And do not be troubled over me; this is possibly the safest planet any of us could be alone on at the present!’ 

Blair took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart and mind. Then she slowly backed away from the ledge. 

‘Okay….okay, I’ll do it. Just….hang in there, and I’ll come get you, okay?’ 

‘You can do it, Blair; I have the highest confidence in you!’ 

Blair laughed weakly, checked the omniscanner, nodded tightly, then headed off in the direction it was pointing. 

*****

As soon as she touched the dematerialisation lever, she felt an almost electric connection run through her. She turned on the scanner, and tried to find the Master’s beacon. After two minutes of searching, she finally saw a dot on the map pulsing. 

She locked onto it, and pulled the lever. 

The TARDIS hummed as the time rotors rose and fell, and she could feel the mental connection stronger than she had ever felt it before, except for when she had had the shared dream with her.

She watched the rotors until they stopped, and then slowly let go of the demat lever. Turning the scanner back to outdoor view, she was about to check for the Master when she heard a key turn in the lock and the door opened and the Master limped in, smiling the greatest smile she had ever seen. She ran over to him, and he lifted her up and spun her around. 

‘ _ Magnificent, _ Blair!’ 

He set her back on her feet, and she grinned up at him. 

‘That was  _ amazing _ ,’ she breathed. 

‘You did  _ wonderfully _ ,’ the Master said. ‘I am so very,  _ very _ proud of you.’ 

He lifted her into a hug again, and she smiled, both inside and out. 


	2. Episode Two

The TARDIS landed, and the Master emerged from the lab, carrying two protective pendants. Blair came out of her room wearing her cape and backpack and saw them. She raised her eyebrows. 

‘I got my backpack; I’m ready to go….but do you really think it’s gonna be  _ that _ bad….?’ She sounded hesitant. The Master looked at her frankly. 

‘Blair, this is going to be extremely dangerous; please do not fool yourself. And as I said before, you  _ always  _ have the option of staying on board the TARDIS. You would be safer here.’ 

Blair looked at him solemnly, and he knew what she was going to say. 

‘We’re going to stick together, Master,’ she said. She held out her hand. 

The Master hesitated, then took it. 

‘If you have any doubts, do not hesitate to come back here,’ he said. She nodded. 

The Master sighed. ‘Very well. Let us go, then.’ 

They headed out through the console room, then out the door. 

*****

They were almost at the main entrance when Blair had a thought come up; one she’d been trying to shove away. She knew she had to face it now.

‘Do you think….’

‘Mm?’ 

‘....do you think Ellen will be there….? With the Alari….?’ 

‘It is a distinct possibility, although I cannot say for certain.’ 

‘Oh.’ 

There was silence for a moment, then the Master broke it. 

‘You have not talked much about what happened on that planet.’

Blair scowled. ‘I….I don’t wanna even  _ think  _ about Ellen Hastings unless it’s strictly necessary,’ she muttered. She felt the Master squeeze her hand. 

‘I completely understand that.’ 

They stopped at the door, and the Master picked the lock. It swung open, and they went inside.

‘Stay close to me,’ the Master said. ‘You do not want to fall into any death traps like Thomas did that time.’ 

Blair shivered. ‘Good point.’ It was odd to think of Thomas now; it all seemed so long ago. 

_ I guess it was _ , Blair thought.  _ You kind of lose track of time in the TARDIS. Ironic, really.  _

Blair was yanked into a corner, a hand on her forehead. 

‘ _ Shhh…. _ ’ the Master whispered, and Blair watched, wide-eyed, as a tall, ghostly alien lumbered past on its three legs. The Master was thinking extremely loudly, and she felt her perception blur.

_ Nobody is here…. _ she heard in her mind;  _ ….you do not comprehend our presence…. _

She felt almost on the verge of sleep when she felt her shoulder shaken lightly, and she blinked up at the Master. 

‘I apologise for that,’ he whispered; ‘I needed to make that thought quite strong to overcome the Alari’s mental barriers.’ 

Blair nodded silently, and they continued on. 

*****

It wasn’t long before they encountered the pit Thomas had fallen into. They carefully edged around it and kept going, towards what Blair could only assume was the heart of the complex. The obsidian and gold walls were just as she remembered them up until that point, but they only got more grandiose as they went along, until they were almost completely plated in gold by the end of the passage. Blair thought it a bit much. 

Finally, they came to a gigantic door; taller than the one in the Cybermen’s complex. The Master turned to her. 

‘This is your last chance to turn back,’ he said. ‘I would recommend you do so; I am assuming the Alari’s leader is in here; I am certain I could cobble together a perception filter so you could easily go back without being detected.’ 

Blair just sort of  _ looked _ at him, and she knew he knew the answer. He reached out, and pushed the door open. 

Inside was the tallest Alari Blair had seen yet. It had to have been ten feet tall, and it had six legs instead of three. She whimpered a little, and the Master put an arm around her. 

‘Hello,’ he said confidently - Blair didn’t know how he could be so calm - ‘I am the  _ Master _ . You may have heard of me….?’

‘ _ YOU HAVE DEFEATED MY AGENTS ONCE BEFORE, TIME LORD; YOU SHALL NOT DO IT AGAIN.’  _

The Master actually chuckled. 

‘Oh, you do underestimate me, creature; you see….only an equal can ever defeat me, and even  _ that _ is not a certainty; and you most certainly are  _ not _ my equal.’ 

The Alari roared, and Blair shrunk back. 

_ Stay behind me, _ she heard the Master think. He strode forward, slowly and deliberately. 

‘So, Alari, will you surrender to me, or will I be compelled to be more…. _ forceful? _ ’ 

‘ _ YOU WILL LEAVE THIS ROOM BEFORE I DEVOUR YOU! _ ’ the Alari roared. Suddenly, Blair felt like she was being tugged at….

….then it stopped. 

‘ _ IT - IT CANNOT BE…. _ ’ 

She saw the Master’s shape flicker a little, then grow solid again. He started to laugh. 

‘Do you think we would have come unprepared?’ he said. ‘We have the technology to stop you from consuming our time; it is fruitless of you to try.’ 

The Alari roared again, and then Blair felt like she simply  _ had _ to take the pendant off; like if she didn’t, everything would be bad, and without really thinking about it, her hands went to the cord. 

The Master spun around. 

‘ _ Blair! _ ’ she looked up at him. His gaze was intense. ‘Blair, look into my eyes  _ now. Do not look away. _ ’

She took in a shuddering breath - wait - why was she taking off the pendant….? She dropped the cord quickly.

‘That’s it, Blair, keep looking into my eyes, and listen to me. You must not remove that pendant; do you understand? Your life depends on it.’ 

‘I….I understand….what’s going on….?’

‘Listen to me, and….’ he clicked his fingers, and Blair jumped a little ‘.... _ sleep. _ ’ 

Everything went black.

*****

The Master turned around slowly and faced the creature. 

‘You will  _ never _ lay a hand on her,’ he growled. 

‘ _ WHAT IS IT YOU WANT, TIME LORD? WHY DO YOU DARE THREATEN ME?’  _

‘It is quite simple, really.’ The Master took another step forward and stopped directly in front of the Alari. 

‘Not only am I going to stop your appalling policy of going to other planets and stripping their inhabitants of their temporal energy, I am going….’ he was about a foot away from the Alari’s face now ‘....to collect all the symbiotic nuclei you have stolen from other Time Lords, and use them to aid in my regeneration. And you can do nothing about it.’ 

Before the creature could respond, the Master had whipped out the omniscanner, pressed a button, and locked the Alari in a time bubble. He drew back. 

‘Now….to extract its chronon energy in a manner that it will not feel it….’ 

He frowned and studied the controls, moving a little to the right. Then something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned his head. 

It was Blair, lying on the floor, asleep, as he had left her, her peaceful expression a sharp contrast to the dire situation she had been saved from. 

He looked at the omniscanner again, then back at Blair, then back at the omniscanner. 

_ I cannot do this…. _

He looked around, at the two other beings in the room.

_ I cannot kill that creature _ , he thought. But how else was he supposed to stop this….

Frustrated, he closed his eyes and thought  _ hard _ . 

And after a moment, he opened his eyes, and turned off the omniscanner. 

*****

Blair’s pleasant dream of flying through the Vortex on a dragon was interrupted by a clicking sound. 

‘ _ a w a k e, _ ’ she heard, though it seemed a long ways off. Slowly, she felt reality coming back around her, and then blinked, and then saw the Master kneeling beside her. Dazed, she looked around and saw the Alari in the time bubble. 

‘Wha - what’s going on?!’ she exclaimed. 

‘No time for that now; we must find the communications room.’ 

Blair nodded, and the Master helped her up. 

‘Are you well?’ he asked. ‘The Alari did no damage, yes?’

‘I’m perfectly fine,’ she said. ‘Let’s go.’ 

The Master nodded, and they ran down the corridor. 

‘Can you explain on the way?’ Blair panted. 

‘I would, but there is no time.’ They skidded to a stop outside a door, and the Master set to picking the lock. ‘Suffice it to say, there has been an ethical dilemma, and a change of plans.’ 

‘Okay.’ Blair had no clue what he meant, but she got the feeling that if she did know, she would be proud. 

The door swung open, and they dashed inside. The Master slammed the door shut, and sprung over to the array of audio equipment. He fiddled with some of the dials, then flipped a switch and pulled down a microphone. 

‘Alari, this is a Time Lord speaking. Your ruler was performing an illegal temporal operation, which I have just put an end to. I advise you lock your leader in the nearest prison, and stop your conquests of other worlds, or I will be forced to contact Gallifrey, and you will be met with the full force of the Celestial Intervention Agency.’ 

Blair’s head spun; Miralettiarcalia had seemed like a rather ruthless agent; she didn’t like the idea of her and her crew swooping down on any planet, but she didn’t know what else  _ could _ be done. 

The Master moved back, seeming to wait for something. 

A cacophony of voices came through the speaker, and he jumped and stumbled back, alarmed. 

Blair ran over to him. ‘What’s happening?!’ 

‘I do not think they appreciate what I have done….’ He dashed forward again. 

‘Alari, there is no need for panic; there is a simple enough solution which I have told you; you only need to - ‘ He was cut off by someone banging on the door. 

Blair and the Master looked at each other, then the Master scooped up Blair and ran. 

*****

Blair’s eyes were squeezed shut, so she didn’t know quite how they broke through the crowd of angry aliens, but somehow they did, and by the time she opened her eyes, the Master was sprinting down the open corridor, leaping over the death traps; scarily close to the edges of some of them. 

She shut her eyes again. 

Before she knew it, she heard the sound of a key turning in a lock, and she opened her eyes to see the Master opening the door of the TARDIS and leaping inside. The door slammed behind them, and just as the Master set her down, she could hear the sound of the angry mob hammering on the door.

The Master sprinted over to the console and programmed an emergency dematerialisation. The time rotors rose and fell, and then all outside was silent. The Master breathed a sigh of relief. 

Then something on the console started beeping. 

‘What’s that….?’ Blair asked, hesitant. The Master turned on the scanner, then paled. 

‘It is a distress call, from a ship that is under attack. From creatures that sound like the Alari….and without whatever restraint their leader might’ve given them....’ 

Blair’s heart dropped to her toes. She came over and stared at the scanner in disbelief. 

‘Oh, Blair….’ the Master said, ‘I hope I have not just made things worse….’


	3. Episode Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry to interrupt the flow of the story, but I thought it appropriate to warn all my good readers that it gets _incredibly_ dark and brutal from here, so just be warned. (It doesn't go over a T-rating, just.........your emotions will be torn to shreds by the end. Just a heads up.)
> 
> However, I should probably add that, although it does get dark, there will be a happy ending. Not now, but in the future. 
> 
> Thank you for reading.

The TARDIS landed, and they were immediately greeted by screams. Blair ran for the door almost instinctively, the Master shouting behind her to stay back, but she remembered she still had her pendant on, and ignored him. 

Outside was utter chaos. Passengers were screaming and running while the ghostly aliens chased them into corners and….

Blair couldn’t look. 

She heard footsteps running towards her, and before she could turn to see who it was, she was suddenly blinded by tweed fabric and felt her ears covered. She could hear faint warbled sounds at first, then even louder screams, muffled though they were, and then all was silent. 

‘I implore you not to look,’ the Master said, and then her head was released. She took in a gulp of air and looked up at him. His eyes were blazing. 

‘They were ordinary, common, civilians, all  _ gone _ \- and for what?! Simply because some miserable aliens were hungry?! What gave them the right to do this? They could easily subsist off their own planet! But  _ no _ \- they wanted  _ more! _ ’ He turned in disgust. 

Blair was at a loss. She tried to think of  _ something _ to say -  _ anything! _ \- but then there was the unmistakable sound of a TARDIS materialising behind them, and forgetting what the Master had said about not looking, she turned around. 

The first sight almost made her throw up, but somehow she held it down. Dead, miniaturised Alari and humans were  _ everywhere _ , as far as the eye could see. 

Then she saw, flickering in and out of view, the strange shape of a blue police box; the kind they had on Earth a long while ago. 

It materialised fully, and out popped a head of brown curls; a long scarf trailing down from his neck. 

_ Oh, no _ , Blair groaned inwardly. 

The Doctor looked around, then his expression grew furious, and he glared up at the Master. 

‘How  _ dare _ you!’ he growled. ‘These were innocent pa - ‘ 

In one bound, the Master sprang over to him and grabbed him by the lapels. 

‘Do not accuse me today,  _ Doctor! _ ’ he spat. ‘I’ve had enough of death - and destruction - and wasted lives - and  _ cruelty  _ to last me a  _ lifetime  _ today - for the last time; do you  _ actually think I do anything more than what is necessary?! _ ’ 

He shook the Doctor, who was rather wide-eyed at this point, and then unceremoniously dropped him to the floor.

‘Now if you would kindly  _ leave _ , I would be eternally grateful. I have an investigation to conduct, and I do not need a meddling Time Lord interfering with my work, just because he thinks he knows me better than he actually does.’ 

The Doctor stared up at him for minute. 

‘I will help you,’ he said, quieter than before. 

‘ _ No _ , Doctor, I neither need nor desire any of your “ _ help _ ”.’ 

‘Nonsense - we’ll investigate together!’ 

The Master glared at him, then strode over to Blair and took her hand. 

‘Are you going back into the TARDIS?’ he said. She shook her head. ‘Very well. Come along. We shall try to shake the Doctor off our trail.’ 

With the Doctor spluttering behind them, they set off down the passageway in front of them. 

*****

‘Do you even realise who he  _ is _ , Blair?’ The Master flinched at the sound of the Doctor’s voice. ‘He’s cold; ruthless; would do anything to make his plans come to fruition - he’s  _ dangerous _ , Blair; if you stay with him,  _ he will kill you! _ ’ 

‘Why, thank you, Doctor; I am  _ flattered _ ,’ the Master said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. It was all Blair could do to ignore the Doctor and not just turn around and punch him. 

_ How can he be so different from the friendly alien with the umbrella?!  _  she thought to the Master.  _ Even taking regeneration into account?! _

_ There are some mysteries I do not wish to consider, _ the Master thought back, and Blair sighed. 

‘Where are we going?’ she asked. 

‘There is the great potential for a few Alari still being on this ship, and I thought it prudent to check before we left. I can…. _ sense _ …. _ something _ ; almost as if there is an anomaly near, but I am not certain if it is left over from the attack that just happened or not.’ 

They rounded a corner, then immediately pulled back. 

There were three Alari standing by the airlock in the next room. 

‘ _ If we can get to the controls, we can flush them out the airlock! It’s quite simple! _ ’ the Doctor whispered. 

The Master frowned. ‘Rather hypocritical of you, Doctor, do you not think? Still….a useful idea _.’  _

The Doctor tiptoed over to the control panel. He reached for the switch, and accidentally knocked a lever. The ship pitched, and Blair was flung forward. The Master jumped for her, and the Alari turned. 

The Doctor reached for the airlock switch. 

‘ _ NO! DOCTOR! _ ’ the Master screamed, but then the doors opened, and the Doctor was flung away from the control panel by the force of the vacuum sucking air towards the doors.

Blair screamed as she felt herself pulled towards the open doorway, Alari falling into space all around her, then she felt a hand grasp hers. She stopped falling, and looked up to see the Master, clinging for dear life to the corner of the wall. 

‘ _ Keep ahold of my hand! The door has to shut eventually! _ ’ he shouted. 

‘ _ It’s so strong - I’m losing my grip! _ ’ 

‘AIRLOCK BREACH DETECTED. EMERGENCY DOOR CLOSING IN FIFTEEN SECONDS,’ came the mechanical voice over the loudspeaker. 

‘Fifteen seconds?!’ Blair screamed. ‘ _ Fifteen seconds?! _ Surely they can close it quicker than fifteen seconds?!’

‘You only have to hold on that long, Blair! Stay  _ strong! _ ’ 

Blair felt herself slip. 

‘ _ Master -  _ please! -  _ get a better hold - I’m slipping _ \- ‘ 

The Master gingerly reached out three fingers closer to her wrist. 

And lost his grip. 

They both screamed. The Master even dove forward to reach her, narrowly missing being sucked into space as well, but Blair saw him getting further away, and then everything felt like she was being turned inside out, and then the world went black. 

*****

The Master fell to the floor and skidded along it, staring at the doors that had just slid closed.


	4. Episode Four

_No - no no no no no no no_ -

The Master’s silent screaming was interrupted by the Doctor’s voice.

‘I can’t believe it….’ He trailed off.

Reality came rushing back to the Master.

 _The Doctor…._ he snarled inwardly. He sprung to his feet, and quicker than the Doctor could react, grabbed hold of his shoulders and pinned him against the wall.

‘This is all. Your. _Doing._ ’

The Doctor gasped.

‘I didn’t _mean_ to do it - it was an accident - ‘

‘ _NO!_ ’ The Master shook him. ‘No matter _accidents_ \- you have just flushed my only friend out into space to _die!_ ’ His eyes narrowed. ‘You will _pay for this._ ’

The Doctor’s eyes were wider than usual. _Good;_ the Master thought, _he_ should _be frightened._

The Master drew his TCE.

‘I am going to kill you for this. _Slowly._ ’

He had no idea how the Doctor managed to get free enough to do it, but the Master quickly found himself flipped backwards by a swift Venusian Aikido kick. He landed on the ground several feet away, and the Doctor ran out the door and into the corridor. The Master leapt up and screamed.

‘ _If you_ ever _show your face to me again, Doctor, I_ will _have my revenge! You will_ pay _for what you’ve done! Do you hear me?! I -_ ’

The Master’s voice faltered. He collapsed to the floor, and began to sob.

He could not remember crying this much since he was a time tot, but that did not matter. He lay on the floor and sobbed for an eternity; he could feel every microspan of it. When he finally looked up, he saw the airlock doors, closed to the outside world.

‘Oh, _Blair_ ….’ he whispered. ‘How could you go and do a thing like _dying?_ You were always so _alive!_ ’

He put his face in his hands, and cried softly for a time more.

Eventually, he slowly rose. As he moved, he felt the Zirshaws in his watch pocket. Sadly, he took them out and looked at them. Then, gently, he took one of the two, walked forward, and placed it on the ground in front of the airlock. He looked down at it.

‘Goodbye, Blair Kenneth,’ he said quietly. ‘I loved you more than I could possibly tell you.’

He turned and walked out into the corridor.

*****

There was an alert beeping when he got back in the TARDIS.

‘ _I DON’T_ WANT _TO DEAL WITH EMERGENCIES RIGHT NOW!_ ’ he shouted to no one.

He felt the TARDIS nudging in his mind, and a realisation struck him - could he possibly materialise around Blair in space as soon as she fell out? He ran over to the console and did a few scans….

….but he could not find her. It was almost as if she had been erased from that moment.

He put his face in his hands and sobbed again for a while. Then the beeping brought him back and he grudgingly pushed the button. A message appeared on the scanner.

_MASTER - I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU AND MIRALETTIARCALIA ARE PLANNING,_

_BUT DON’T TRUST HER - SHE’S TRYING TO KILL YOU. DON’T_

It cut off abruptly.

The Master stared at the screen for a minute, then programmed the controls. He did not know where the message had come from, but he certainly believed it, and he was furious.

 _I have suspected her of treachery ever since she kidnapped us_ , he thought. _This only confirms it._

He programmed a course into the Vortex and looked up at the rotors as they rose and fell. He had never realised how empty the TARDIS felt without someone standing by his side at the console.


	5. Epilogue

She felt like she was choking on the air as she sucked it into her lungs. 

‘Slow down….get your breath back,’ a voice said. 

‘Where - where am I….’ She coughed; it  _ hurt _ . 

‘You’re on Gallifrey,’ the voice said again. It seemed slightly familiar. ‘You have to stay here, now.’ 

Blair froze. 

She had been falling into space - she should be dead - the Master must think she was dead - 

‘You can’t let him think I’m  _ dead!  _ I have to  _ find _ him!’ she yelled as loud as she could with her broken voice. 

‘I’m afraid he  _ has to _ , Blair.’ The woman came around in front of her, and Blair gasped. 

It was a tall, grey-haired woman in black and white robes. 

Miralettiarcalia. 


End file.
